my inspirations

In Paris we experienced a canicule, a heatwave, like I have never seen. It sent the Parisians to the country. For those that could not leave the city for the weekend, the mayor opened up additional parks where people gathered in droves under the shade of the green trees.

The triple-digit (Fahrenheit) weather reminded me of Morocco.

This post was intended to be part two of the photo journalI posted last autumn about Marrakech (with a recipe for Harira, a traditional Moroccan soup); however, the weather turned surprisingly cold and a grilling recipe, part two or not, seemed ridiculous. It is relevant now. Summer is here and the hot weather brings with it a desire to eat light and stay out of the kitchen. It is also grilling season.

So, here it is, Morocco, Part Deux, and a simple grilling recipe for skewered lamb chops with a spicy green Harissa.

long weekend in Napa and a detox “do-over”Farmer’s Market winter salad with tangy blood oranges

If any of you are calling for a detox “redo” after the three day weekend, then this post and its recipe — Farmer’s Market winter salad with tangy blood oranges — is for you. Read the rest of this entry »

I had an inside tip. It was an inside tip on a Paris apartment and not just any apartment, an apartment in a beautiful building on avenueGeorges Mandel. My friend’s mother told her that if I acted fast, I could preview the apartment before it was officially on the market. Was I interested? Bien sûr ! (of course). Good apartments in Paris are far and few in between and they are taken immediately. The tip was better than chocolate praline from Patrick Roger.

As luck would have it I registered to run a marathon in Venice, Italy in a week. Everything seems to be a quick plane ride from Paris so I made an appointment to preview the apartment before I headed to Venice. It would be a tight schedule: three countries; four days. This week I want to take you there. Venez avec moi (come with me) àVenice, Italy with a Paris stop, a marathon detour, and a favorite fish recipe: sole à la meuienere.

If you have traveled to France in the month of August you know that the country really comes to a halt. As a friend aptly noted, “Ah… grandes vacances, where everyone is out and out of it.” C’est vrai (it is true).

For the month of August (although it is creeping into July as well) there is a customary and societal expectation of absenteeism. Everyone takes time to re-charge their battery and spend time with their family. This uniform expectation of doing nothing and getting nothing “accomplished” I have grown to love as there seems to be no downtime due to texts and emails sent to your portable phone. When you accept that nothing — nothing — will just get done in August, it is very liberating (although as an American it took me some time to come to terms with the notion). You plan around it and guess what? Everything still gets done. French time.

My daughter took this photograph on the train returning to Paris from Nice. I like it because to me it says “au revoir” (bye, see you again) to the summer.

Not far from Paris is a château rich in history. Yes, there are many. However, this particular château wasinhabited for seven centuries by the royal and imperial French elite (most famously by Napoleon I and Josephine). Surrounded by breathtaking courtyards, fountains, canal, gardens, a park, and a lake, it is a perfect Paris day trip. It is the Château de Fontainebleau and this week’s recipe, summer strawberries with lime sugar and fresh mint, wasinspired by a visit to this château. So until you get there in person – venez avec moi(come with me) – à la Château de Fontainebleau.

This week’s post is inspired by a visit to 6 Paul Bert in the middle of a three day French visa adventure (which I will tell you about). My meal at 6 Paul Bert was definitely the highlight and I nearly licked my plate clean, which is why I call this post “this little piggy” (as well as the fact that the subject of this week’s recipe is pork). This week we are making oven-roasted pork tenderloin with herb-caper salsa.

I am often asked for recommendations of what to do and where to eat while in France. When I am asked about day trips outside Paris my first suggestion is always the same: go to Monet’s home in Giverny. It is an easy train ride to a magical place that is beyond peaceful and beautiful. It was restored to it’s prior appearance (designed and planned by the artist himself). A visit to Monet’s Giverny is like stepping into one of the artist’s paintings. Until you can get there in person, let me take you there via post. Venez avec moi à Monet’s Giverny (La Maison de Claude Monet en Giverny). Read the rest of this entry »

My quest to see a kitchen garden built for a king and my daughters’ desire to see where Marie Antoinette lived led us to Versailles.We came home with white peaches and our day trip inspired this week’s post and the recipe: white peach and haricots verts salad with fresh chives.

Some days everything just seems to go right. The weather is perfect. I did not step in a gift from a neighbor’s dog nor did I walk a piece of furniture down the rue to my apartment. The children are not fighting. Beyond the domestic bliss and no more juin gloom, the little things that in France I have come to expect to test my patience actually fell into place. I felt this moment should be recorded.

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